A blog for the leaders of tomorrow

The value of alternatives

Alternatives add value to our decisions and increase our confidence afterwards. The more we consider the variety of options, the more probable we can be that we are making the choice that suits us the most.

Our emotions are often the first guide to what we want to do, but then we should stop and consider the alternatives. Let’s say the other day you felt like going to the cinema. It’s probable that after getting such a feeling, you did not stop to consider what your other alternatives were. Maybe you could have read a book, visited a friend, done some shopping, wrote a blog article, played some video games, made plans for the future, etc. However, we often do not stop to think about the plethora of options and simply go with our feelings. Clearly, it is much quicker and easier, but we also take the risk of making an sub-optimal decision. What if you could have done something more valuable and interesting that you just did not consider?

The more we can think of alternatives, the better we can be assured that our selection is a good one. At least, we know we considered other options and can better understand our own decision; psychologically it helps to build confidence in our choice.